Finally… I am Home…

Every Muslim at one point or another in his/her life must go to Meccah when possible. It’s called fulfilling the pilgrimage. It isnt exactly limited to just the Muslims. Buddhists and Hindus are known to have destinations for pilgrimages too like the Bodh Gaya and the Chardarm. A pilgrimage is a long journey or search of great moral significance. It is a journey to what may be a sacred place or a shrine to seek enlightenment. At the end of the pilgrimage, pilgrims as they are called, often find a new meaning in life, indeed, most claim to have undergone a form of rejuvenation, almost like being reborn…

Ever since I got to England, I felt a strong sense of purpose to travel and participate in a pilgrimage. I decided to go to Manchester and visit the shrine of all Manchester United supporters, Old Trafford…

The road to completing a pilgrimage is often hard and torturous. No different here, the task of entering Old Trafford is riddled with obstacles and frustration. It involves joining a cult called One United before one may obtain access to the shrine and watch the fabled Eleven Gods perform their ritual of destroying weaker opposition. I failed in my quest to watch the Gods’ demolition of eternal rivals Liverpool. Many witnesses claim that it was brutal and that Liverpool stood no chance, watching helplessly as they were pummeled to defeat. Truly, that would have been a sight to behold.

To join the One United cult, membership seekers must make a sacrifice of 27 pounds, which I did without question. I sometimes doubted if I would ever be able to complete my pilgrimage before I return home to Malaysia, but it was a foolish thought. Oh me of little faith!

For barely 5 days later, I managed to obtain tickets to Old Trafford although I had to make a sacrifice totalling 70 pounds for the match tickets and also tickets for the horseless chariot which will transport me to the sacred land of Manchester. The date was set at the 4th of November, and the opponents were Portsmouth. I could barely contain my glee, not everyone has the chance to watch United live in action..

It was a beautiful Saturday morning. I got up but I felt strangely calm. The sun was shining, which is a rare sight in November. I bathed and got ready. I packed a few bag of crisps in case I got hungry. It was to be a long journey. This is where I am gonna stop talking like an over-indulged arse-hole, err, asshole. It’s getting really lame, I know.

As I was saying, it’s a great morning. The climate was just right. Even though I had to go alone, I really didn’t mind. Not one of the United “fans” I know in Nottingham was willing to cough up a 100 quid to watch the game, which was understandable.

Met up with Kuan Ching before that to have lunch first before the match. Had Dim Sum, it was awesome. Havent had Dim Sum since I got here and it was stupendous. The prawn dumpling and the siu mai was to die for. The best part was, it only cost 6 quid!! (okay, dun convert)

Went over to his house for a while after lunch and boarded a bus at the bus-stop opposite his block and I was on my way. To Old Trafford. The Theatre of Dreams. Home of Manchester United. By then, my heart was really pounding. When the bus was approaching Old Trafford, I looked on in awe as the stadium took shape over the horizon. Exactly like how I remembered it. The crowd were making their way into the stadium area and there was a great match atmosphere. There were food traders outside, supporters singing, and a handful snapping photos.

I got in at the West Entrance and quickly made my way to the main entrance, which is behind the North Stand. There it was, the famous glass motive and the words MANCHESTER UNITED, with the Sir Matt Busby statue looking on. The Mega Store is just below the statue. I went inside and there really wasnt much to shout about. I can understand why this is the most profitable football club in the world though, there were bloody long queues at the cashiers! There were A LOT of people there, pumping money into the club.

This is the famous Munich Clock, in memory of those who perished in the Munich Air Disaster. All you have to do is look, and you cant help but be usurped by the history of the club. I went ahead and got my match programme and the United magazine; both for only a fiver. The kick off was at 3pm, it was 2.30 and so after a few more photo-shoots, I made my way to the North-West quadrant where I was seated.

I was at the North-West quadrant which was way better than the North Stand last time, and it was just right next to the Stretford End, where all the vocal supporters are. The view was great, could see everything clearly. As kick off was approaching and the crowd started making noise and singing, I felt expectedly excited. When the teams walked out and the “intimidating music” played, there was a loud “United! United!” chant from the supporters. It was spine-chilling. If I was one of the Portsmouth players, I d be peeing in my pants upon the sight of 76,000 supporters boring their eyes through me..

Here is the best part about the United players. There is an air of confidence with a hint of arrogance about them. I ll tell you why. Right before the kickoff, opposition players will almost always form a pathetic friendship circle and the captain will probably give a lame pep-talk and they will be like “GO! <INSERT CLUB NAME HERE>!!”, including Liverpool, before dispersing like in the movies. Team spirit or something like that.

While they are doing this though, the United players would already be in their positions, looking on at their opponents, as if saying “Are you pansies done yet? Can we play some football now?”. The players are already focused before they get on the pitch, they don’t need to go all wussy and do a group hug before 76,000 spectators right before kickoff.

Watching the match without commentators felt a bit weird to be honest, but the United supporters were really up for it, especially the Stretford End. We practically just sang and sang the entire match. Whoever said that OT’s quiet really hasnt been to OT before, it was really loud. We didnt have to wait long for a goal though because after 2 minutes, a penalty was won and the stadium went berserk.

And because, it was a penalty, I was able to record the Old Trafford roar when a goal is scored. While Saha was getting ready for the penalty, there was a loud United United chant and just as he’s making the run for the kick, the stadium went still. The crowd went quiet and when the ball hit the back of the net, boom, the stadium erupted! There is no feeling like that in the world, I tell you…

There were a lot of singing, like I said, during the match. It was Sir Alex Ferguson’s 20th anniversary as club manager and we all sang “Stand Up If You Love Fergie”. The entire stadium stood up and started singing along, that’s 76,000 voices, that would surely have brought a smile to the old man’s face. We also did “Fergie, Fergie, Give Us A Wave!”, haha, and the man waved back, fucking awesome!! Oh, “Glory Glory Man United” was madness, the part “..as the reds go marching ON ON ON!” was so sick, erm probably because everyone knows the words..

The game was wrapped up by the time Ronaldo scored a beautiful freekick and Vidic added the third so there was a relaxed atmosphere about the game. Not that we were cutting ex-Liverpool and Manchester City goalkeeper David James any slack though. Everytime he touched the ball, everyone started whistling and jeering and applauding everytime he made a mistake, which he did on a number of occassions…

A section of the crowd started leaving at around the 90th minute to avoid the after-match train clog-up but I stayed to applaud the team off the pitch. Credit to Gary Neville, he was the only player to applaud all 4 sections of the crowd. Another less-excruciating train ride home and that was the end of one heck of a Manchester United matchday experience. The crowd chants were still ringing in my ears even after I made it to my room, hah!

I might go again to OT though, if we meet a big team in Europe. There is nothing like a big European night, an experience all in itself. Plus, I joined One United for 27 fucking quid, might as well make the most of my membership. Oh well, to the next pilgrimage, which I hope wont be too long from now!